There’s no doubt that chips are a core part of Kiwi culture. They’re fit for every occasion - a night in with mates, a cinema snack, a family BBQ, or to binge eat during an all too frequent bed rot.
Over the last few years, many brands have been experimenting with extravagant flavours, but the OG go-to will always stand solid at the top of the snack hierarchy.
But while there’s little argument over the top flavour, it begs the question - what are the absolute BEST salt and vinegar chips?
Reddit user @cjam84 put the call out, asking for “the most powerfully vinegary salt and vinegar chips available in New Zealand? We’re talking eat a good portion and your lips turn white.”
He expressed his frustration at the state of the salt and vinegar strength in Aotearoa, saying: “Some should really be called ready salted, they must have shown a bottle of vinegar and then packed up.”
Kiwis were QUICK to hop on his salty train.
“No one brand seems to want to take the bull by the horns and make a version absolutely caked with blow,” one user commented.
“When will manufacturers learn that when we purchase salt and vinegar, we are wanting punishment?” another questioned.
Salt and vinegar should taste like you’re eating an electric fence.
A fan favourite that came up repeatedly was Snackachangi's Vinegar and Salt, with “bonus points for them being so crunchy, I’d swear they’re causing me hearing loss.”
Heartland’s Extreme Crunch Apple Cider Vinegar was another hot contender, getting heaps of love.
“They take the inside of your palate skin off,” one user expressed.
Kettle Sea Salt and Vinegar was another that received plenty of praise. Some were extra excited about this one, saying: “YES, burns a layer off the inside of your mouth.”
It sure is clear that Kiwis love the pain and damage salt and vinegar chippies inflict.
When Consumer NZ did their own study in 2023 on the best salt and vinegar flavours, the top-ranked brands matched up pretty closely with the fan favourites mentioned by the passionate Kiwis on Reddit.
Bluebird, ETA ripples, and Ceres Organics also popped up in the Reddit comments.
Plenty of Kiwi users weren’t happy with the quality of the severity of the latter part of ‘Salt and Vinegar’, so instead they offered their own mouth-tearing alternatives.
“Snackachangi do cashews in S and V that strip the mouth interior,” one Kiwi suggested.
These got a lot of positive reviews, although not everyone was keen on the $13.39 price point.
Another suggestion for a good dose of vinegar is the SunRice rice cakes, with one user giving the snack kudos on the “acidity that shoots right through.”
Delites Salt and Vinegar crackers were heavily suggested as an alternative, with someone claiming: “They leave your mouth peeling the next day.”
If you’re not willing to compromise the potato chip texture, then don’t worry, there’s a hack for you.
Buy some salt and vinegar seasoning and just sprinkle it on any bag of chips, it changed my life.
Safe to say, we can now consider the Reddit user who started this whole convo a national hero.
He has passed on all the feedback to the different chip companies, and some have even responded and sent it on to their product teams.
Watch this Salt and Vinegar space.
